A genre is defined by its conventions: characters, settings, or events that readers expect to find in it. Here are some examples:

The Conventions of Science Fiction

What is a convention?A genre is defined by its conventions: characters, settings, or events that readers expect to find in it.

Here are some examples:

What is a convention?Romance Novel: an attractive, unmarried, difficult man


Western Novel: a ranch in danger, cowboys


Western Novel: a ranch in danger, cowboys

Science Fiction Novel: a political system situated amongst the stars

AN ISOLATED SOCIETY•A remote island or remote mountain region that is difficult to reach.

•A Utopian or Dystopian Society: Utopian Society is an IDEAL Society Dystopian Society is a HORRIBLE or degraded society

•In Science Fiction the location would be a colony planet, a parallel world, a generation ship creeping between the stars. • Utopian Society: Usually has very comfortable settings, environments. A colony that supports its members and defends them against outside threats.

A Morally Significant LanguageScience Fiction writers like to create unique languages for their stories.

George Orwell’s 1984 novel: Characters speak Newspeak designed to suppress conscious thought

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: Characters speak Elvish Quenya, an ancient tongue of elves that sounds like music. The Orcs, on the other hand, speak a brutal, harsh language that is just as ugly as themselves.

The Importance of DocumentsScience Fiction writers enjoy introducing long pieces of scientific evidence in their emerging plots.

Even though the story is based on the ‘what if’, science fiction is based off some form of technological and/or scientific idea.

Ideological Attitude toward SexIn Science Fiction writing, sexual roles enable a distorted social order.

The distorted social order can involve in women being held captive in labyrinths, or they are warriors with astounding powers.

The role of gender allows more freedom and equal justice which results in questioning the relationships between men and women.

An Inquisitive OutsiderA good example of an inquisitive outsider is Gulliver in Gulliver’s Travels.

Their own cultural biases may influence their perceptions: they fail to see that in fact, they are viewing their own culture through an exaggerated lens. Usually these characters allow the reader to discover irony.

The Fusion of Satire and Romance

Usually a brave hero who has the job of restoring or preserving an idealized feudal society.

Europeans began to realize that their societies where far from ideal

Defining SatireSatire is the deliberate use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule to expose or denounce a place, person or object.